The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
In an anatomy, such as a human anatomy, various anatomical portions and functions maybe damaged or require repair after a period of time. The anatomical portion or function maybe injured due to wear, aging, disease, or exterior trauma. To assist the patient, a procedure may be performed that may require access to an internal region of the patient through an incision. Due to exterior soft tissue, visualization of portions of the interior of the anatomy maybe difficult or require a large opening in the patient.
Image data maybe required of a patient to assist in planning, performing, and post-operative analysis of a procedure. For example, magnetic resonance or computer tomography image data can be acquired of the patient to assist in diagnosing and planning a procedure. The image data acquired of the patient can also be used to assist in navigating various instruments relative to the patient while performing a procedure.
It is known to fixedly interconnect fiducial markers with a patient while imaging the patient. The fiducial markers are then identified or found on the patient with an instrument operated by a user. In the image data the position of the correlating fiducial marker is also identified by the user. It is desirable, therefore, to reduce manual tasks of the user. It is also desirable to provide a system that allows for registration of the image space to the patient space without requiring a user to touch or contact one or more fiducial markers on a patient.